This article comes from Sara Steffen’s talk, ‘Strategically approaching reference activities & tailoring customer experiences’, at our Las Vegas 2023 Customer Marketing Summit, check out her full talk here.
Engaging with customers is not just about transactional exchanges; it's about curating a journey, an experience. With this article, I hope to shine a light on how to approach reference activities strategically and tailor experiences that keep customers coming back!
Before we begin though, let me give you a brief overview of my journey. I spent a good decade at Cisco, where I worked in numerous roles, before finally finding my calling leading the customer marketing team.
Joining Nutanix five years ago, I continued to focus on customer marketing, which expanded to a broader customer experience role. Today, I manage a team focused on customer marketing, advisory boards, user groups, and our Nutanix University, making it a thoroughly customer-oriented team.
I can safely say that over the years I've learned a thing or two about shaping customer experiences and building brands. I'm truly passionate about the potential that lies in customizing activities and meeting customers exactly where they are on their journeys. After all, each customer is unique, and their journey should reflect this individuality.
So today, I am thrilled to share some insights I’ve learned along the way on how we approach reference activities and tailor our customer experiences. We'll dive into four key strategies for success, customizing activities for our customers, building personal brands, avoiding the Do Not Call list, and measuring our progress from a customer perspective.
So, grab a coffee and settle in for a hopefully enriching discussion on all things customer experience!
- Customizing the experience
- Building customers' personal brands
- Avoiding the "Do Not Call" list
- Measuring progress
Customizing the experience
The key to successful customer engagement lies in meeting them where they are in their journey and providing them with a personalized experience.
I’ll give you two examples of our approaches to two distinct experiences that were hugely successful because of our tailoring to their exact needs, characteristics, and goals.
So the first one is Isaiah Nathaniel, the CIO of Delaware Valley Health, who came to our attention right when COVID hit, and he had to transition his team to remote work within a day. Thanks to Nutanix's technology, he managed to do that seamlessly, so he became a great advocate for us.
We cultivated this strong relationship with Isaiah by aligning with his ambition to build his personal brand and his desire to be an industry leader in the healthcare space. So by giving him the platform to do that, he's been a fantastic and enthusiastic partner, consistently engaging with us for over three years.
The Wounded Warrior Project, another one of our customers, on the other hand, was more reserved, declining multiple offers for events or videos. So instead, we took a different approach, coming to them with a GivingTuesday opportunity, allowing them to maintain their narrative while promoting their connection to Nutanix.
By customizing this approach and appealing to their position as a non-profit, we made charitable giving the driving force in this relationship.
Building customers' personal brands
Building our customers' personal brands can be an effective way to solidify our relationships with them. Thought leadership opportunities can be a key part of this strategy.
For instance, Christian, the CIO of USC Keck Medicine, was not interested in doing a case study or a video, but he was all in for a byline article. It’s all about coming to customers with thoughtful opportunities they’re going to say yes to.
One of my favorite initiatives we've undertaken is the Nutanix Select program. This program was created to stay connected with our advocates during the pandemic, offering non-sales related experiences and discussions.
We've hosted conversations on a variety of topics ranging from social media best practices to work-life balance, to whiskey tastings, offering our advocates a chance to learn, network, and have fun!
We also provide social audits and training certifications for our advocates and their teams. These opportunities allow them to build their careers while strengthening their understanding of Nutanix.
Lastly, we also offered professional headshots at one of our events as a token of our appreciation for their continued partnership, further aiding them in their personal branding efforts.
Avoiding the "Do Not Call" list
Okay, the “Do Not Call” list. I talk to my team about this a lot because preserving our relationships with customers is paramount. That's why we avoid exhausting our advocates by reaching out too often or with unsuitable requests.
To do this, we focus on being the gatekeeper of these relationships, monitoring frequency, understanding their personal and professional goals, and aligning our requests accordingly.
We also conduct integrated planning with their PR and legal teams to plan potential activities and get things approved smoothly. This has been particularly helpful for our bigger customers.
Measuring progress
Finally, we measure our progress from the customer's perspective, amplifying their participation in our activities across our social channels and sharing this data with them.
This allows us to not only express our appreciation but offer them a chance to amplify the content on their channels and give them a clear view of the results of their participation.
Another important thing to consider is applying this tailoring to the way you express appreciation. Personally, I like to handwrite thank you cards, but I know they’re time-consuming so they may not work for everyone!
Working in the B2B space, I know a lot of customers sit on boards of nonprofits, so consider a donation or even a gift based on interest, do they like golf? Do they have a favorite restaurant? Or a favorite red wine?
Final thoughts
Crafting a memorable customer experience is all about the journey, not just the transaction. It's about recognizing each customer's unique story, meeting them where they are, and weaving together an experience that resonates with them.
It's like being a good friend - you need to understand their goals, passions, and where they are right now. From customizing experiences, and boosting their personal brands, to avoiding overdoing your asks and measuring progress, every interaction counts.
Remember, customers aren't just purchasers, they're partners, champions, and pals. So, let's treat every interaction as a golden chance to deepen our relationships, drive loyalty, and make our brand shine brighter in their eyes.
I hope these thoughts have sparked some inspiration for your own customer experience strategy. Always remember, it's a learning journey, but one that's worth every step. Let's make every interaction count together!
